Few experiences can compare to the elation of seeing four underdogs from challenging backgrounds work together to accomplish a feat that was once deemed impossible. The viewer is fully aware of the significant sacrifices these pathfinders must make in the best of these stories.
Such narratives humanise these intrepid travellers by casting a light on their unyielding character rather than just their arduous trek. In 2008, during Zimbabwe’s hyperinflation crisis, when food and fuel prices rose and starvation and instability increased, Joseph, Tinashe, Pardon, and Marlvin fled their native country for South Africa in the aim of starting a new life.
The four individuals didn’t know one another before they met in their new country, but they all had similar experiences upon arrival: they encountered danger and death, lost their friends and loved ones, and gave up their chosen professions with little chance of success in a historically racist country that was already hostile to their arrival.
Despite never having tasted wine before, strangely, they all developed a passion for the art of wine identification and went on to become sommeliers. By participating as a team in the Realm Wine Tasting Championship in Burgundy, France, they now want to invade another white world.
The movie “Cool Runnings,” which tells the story of Jamaica’s first bobsled team, comes to mind when you read about these men’s experiences since it features a similar group of foreigners competing in a sport that has typically been practised by white Western nations. But “Blind Ambition,” by Robert Coe and Warwick Ross, is a motivational and heartbreaking story about four Zimbabwean immigrants who work as sommeliers in South Africa. It doesn’t deal in simple jokes or easy talks. It comprehends both the excitement and the agony of impatiently waiting for your ideal to materialise.
According to Tinashe, “Kumusha” is the shona word meaning “house.” The significance of one’s beginnings is emphasised throughout this competition film, and the four guys are frequently troubled by what they’ve left behind. The sad personal histories of each sommelier are expertly woven together by editor Paul Murphy: When smugglers carried Joseph and his wife Amelia (whom we never meet) across the South African border in a claustrophobic railroad container, they left their two-year-old boy behind with family.
Joseph still recalls seeing pictures of other refugees passing out in the heat. The trio, like many other refugees, experienced brutality after reaching South Africa. Video from 2009 brings to mind the gruesome scenes of refugees fleeing through the streets of Johannesburg from savage retaliation by white South Africans. The crew also frequently discusses the ongoing problem of desperate refugees being mugged in South Africa. Together, the quartet carries the weight of these emotions and concerns through each tasting and every obstacle they face while raising money to travel to the wine championship.
While describing these catastrophes, Coe and Ross also dig into the world of wine, discussing the challenges of classifying these numerous and diverse selections by grape variety, place of origin, region, producer, and vintage. These men’s experiences create a delicate counterweight. The World Wine Tasting Championship doesn’t simply depend on one’s individual talent in a team context; it also favours passion, self-acquired knowledge, and unwavering perseverance. Additionally, it needs a coach, which naturally discourages outsiders from competing (thus, the fact that all the contenders are white in the group photo). The group first enlists South Africa’s coach Jean Vincent to act as its interim leader until Denis Garret, a formerly esteemed taster, can take charge.
As the foolish and conceited coach who appears as an unintentional barrier to Team Zimbabwe’s success, Garret, who has a slippery personality, tends to become a bit of an easy villain. The most obstinate aspect of the documentary is the conflict between the two tasters, therefore he might potentially have a grudge against JV. However, the story is permeated with a sense of deeper fractures that existed before to filming. The camera of Coe and Ross is situated on the periphery of this interpersonal conflict, creating a visual impression of a disorganised, scattershot attempt at drama.
By remaining true to its original goal of studying the foreign world of wine through the perspective of men who are proud of both themselves and their nation, “Blind Ambition” is able to overcome these diversions. And although while the sight of fans’ encouraging remarks filling the screen can border on cliché, these emotional triggers nonetheless give us enough of a reason to applaud the chance these sommeliers created for themselves and how they used it to create a chance for everyone.
The documentary “Blind Ambition” follows four Zimbabwean refugees living in South Africa who, after getting work in restaurants, learned that they all had a talent for wine tasting. As Team Zimbabwe in Exile, they competed in the 2017 World Blind Wine Tasting Championships in France. It is “difficult not to smile along with this feel-good documentary,” according to the Guardian. Unrated. It lasts 96 minutes and is streamable on demand.
“Considering my life, where I’ve come from, and where I’ve gone, I believe in destiny,” the speaker said. The official trailer for Blind Ambition, a great documentary about a group of Zimbabwean refugees who decide to form their own team and compete in The World Blind Winetasting Championship, has been released by Samuel Goldwyn Films. I absolutely adore this documentary; I saw it last year for the first time at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival and fell in love right away.
The movie follows four gorgeous, modest Zimbabweans as they become the first ever representatives of their nation to compete in the “Olympics of Winetasting,” a very prestigious and opulent French wine-tasting competition. Their camaraderie, determination, and passion for wine are so outstanding and inspiring that it’s difficult not to be brought to tears by their narrative, despite the fact that they encounter a tonne of prejudice and xenophobia along the way. They are outstanding! It finally opens in the US in September, and I’ve been waiting to share this with everyone. Regardless of your feelings for wine, you must watch it.
Where to Watch Blind Ambition (2022)?
Blind Ambition (2022) will be premiering in theatres on September 2, 2022. We do not recommend illegal streaming and always suggest paying for the content you like to watch.
Is Blind Ambition (2022) available on Amazon Prime?
Amazon prime will not be streaming Blind Ambition (2022). Additionally, several other films are streaming on Prime. Our recommendations are The Voyagers, It’s a Wonderful Life, Notting Hill, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Is Blind Ambition (2022) available on HBO Max?
HBO Max will not be streaming Blind Ambition (2022). However, HBO’s subscribers can enjoy its other popular streams like Euphoria, When Harry Met Sally and Promising Young Woman.
Is Blind Ambition (2022) available on Hulu?
Blind Ambition (2022) is not available on Hulu. The new release line-up additionally includes Pam and Tommy, How I Met Your Father, Abbott Elementary, and Vikings.
Is Blind Ambition (2022) available on Netflix?
Blind Ambition (2022) will not be available to stream on Netflix. However, other brilliant shows like The Power of The Dog, The Social Network, Tick, Tick, Boom, and much more are available.